Transfers In:
Francois Bidard (from Chambery CF), Cyril Gautier (Direct Energie), Jesse Sergent (Trek-Segafredo)
Transfers Out:
Carlos Betancur (to Movistar), Rinaldo Nocentini (Sporting Club Portugal-Tavira)
Kev's thoughts - Nothing really exciting for me here. Nocentini's departure to a small Portuguese team is basically an ungraceful retirement, and a few years late to be of any note.
Andy's thoughts - With Betancur's last year or so being a bit of a non-event, his departure may not be as big a loss as it may have been, had he delivered on his potential. Other than that, look like more of the same from AG2R.
In:
Eros Capecchi (Movistar), Gatis Smukulis (Katusha), Oleg Zemlyakov (Vino4Ever)
Out:
Rein Taaramae (Katusha), Mikel Landa (Sky), Borut Bozic (Cofidis), Alexandr Dyachenko (retirement)
Kev - Letting Taaramae and Landa go may look like big losses, but it's a year of calculated focus for Astana, where they seem to be building their entire team around Fabio Aru.
Andy - While Landa's exit is the headline here, Taaramae will be glad to be leaving and you can't help but feel Astana have lost themselves a talent. The focus may be on Aru, but Landa may still be missed.
In:
Richie Porte (Sky), Tom Bohli
Out:
Peter Stetina (Trek-Segafredo), Klaas Lodewyck (retirement), Campbell Flakemore (retirement)
Kev - Only one thing to say here. Richie Porte has to deliver, with no handy excuse of Froome limiting his GT chances. Interesting to see how his arrival will affect Tejay van Garderen.
Andy - Like Kev, I'm curious to see how Porte and van Garderen will link up. Porte craves a good shot at GC and will surely have gone to BMC on a promise of being given just that. How Tejay will react to that, though, having not been entirely comfortable when he was last placed in the shadow of an Aussie, remains to be seen.
In:
Patrik Bevin (Avanti), Matti Breschel (Tinkoff), Simon Clarke (Orica-GreenEDGE), Lawson Craddock (Giant-Alpecin), Phil Gaimon (Optum), Ryan Mullen (An Post), Pierre Rolland (Direct Energie), Toms Skuijns (Hincapie), Rigoberto Uran (Etixx-Quick-Step), Wouter Wippert (Drapac), Michael Woods (Optum)
Out:
Janier Acevedo (Jamis), Nathan Haas (Dimension Data), Norman Lasse Hansen (Cult Energy), Ryder Hesjedal (Trek-Segafredo), Ted King (retirement), Dan Martin (Etixx-Quick Step), Matej Mohoric (Lampre-Merida)
Kev - A solid set of dealings from a team that was in danger of losing focus last year. Uran can give them a real GC threat in Grand Tours, and Rolland can either be a solid backup or a decent option elsewhere.
Andy - A big reshuffle for Cannondale this season. Swapping Etixx Dan Martin for Rigoberto Uran could prove to be a great bit of business, especially when you see the Colombian's arrival has been supplemented by Pierre Rolland.
In:
Mark Cavendish (Etixx-Quick-Step), Bernhard Eisel (Sky), Omar Fraile (Caja Rural), Nathan Haas (Cannondale), Cam Meyer (Orica-GreenEDGE), Mark Renshaw (Etixx-Quick-Step), Kanstanstin Siutsou (Sky)
Out:
Gerald Ciolek (Cult Energy), Matt Goss (ONE), Louis Meintjes (Lampre-Merida)
Kev - I've already done a post on this team, so click here for some in-depth thoughts. But expect to see a lot of Dimension Data in 2016 and beyond.
Andy - A big season for Dimension Data, after their rise to prominence last year. Could be the team for fans of cycling nostalgia, as they appear to be getting the HTC band back together. Outside of their sprinting aspirations, the hard-working Siutsou is a more-than solid addition.
In:
Bob Jungels (Trek-Segafredo), Marcel Kittel (Giant-Alpecin), Dan Martin (Cannondale), Max Richeze (Lampre-Merida)
Out:
Mark Cavendish (Dimension Data), Michal Golas (Sky), Michal Kwiatkowski (Sky), Mark Renshaw (Dimension Data), Rigoberto Uran (Cannondale)
Kev - On behalf of EQS, welcome Bobby Jungels, we've got fun and games. Sorry. Their dealings hinge on the performances of the outgoing Cav and incoming Kittel to see if they've done well or not.
Andy - Seeing as Kev's already nicked my 'Welcome to Bob Jungels' line, I have nothing else to add other than Kwiatkowski will be a big miss, but if Kittel can stay fit, they'll surely bag themselves a good few stage wins.
In:
Daniel Hoelgaard (Joker), Ignatas Konovalovas (Team Marseille), Sebastien Reichenbach (IAM Cycling)
Out:
David Boucher (Crelan - Vastgoedservice), Anthony Geslin (retirement), Arnold Jeannesson (Cofidis), Francis Mourey (Fortuneo-Vital Concept), Jussi Veikkanen (retirement)
Kev - Unremarkable for me. Nothing to even slightly affect FDJ's modus operandi, which is to get a French winner of the Tour. Pinot's contract is up at the end of this year, let's talk in August.
Andy - Good for trying to get a pun in about hoping to minimise Reichenbach falls and that's about it.
In:
Leigh Howard (Orica-GreenEDGE), Vegard Stake Laengen (Joker), Oliver Naesen (Topsport Vlaanderen), Oliver Zaugg (Tinkoff)
Out:
Sylvain Chavanel (Direct Energie), Thomas Degand (Wanty-Gobert), Jerome Pineau (retirement), Sébastien Reichenbach (FDJ)
Kev - Probably the right time to let Chavanel leave, but you'd have hoped that they'd have replaced him with somebody noteworthy, which, with all due respect, they haven't.
Andy - Chavanel will feel he still had something to offer, and IAM have offered little themselves, in terms of a decent replacement. Can't help but feel both parties have parted ways a season too early.
In:
Michael Morkov (Tinkoff), Rein Taaramae (Astana), Jurgen van den Broeck (Lotto Soudal),
Out:
Alexander Kolobnev (retirement), Dani Moreno (Movistar), Luca Paolini, Rüdiger Selig (Bora-Argon 18), Gatis Smukulis (Astana), Yuri Trofimov (Tinkoff)
Kev - Taaramae and van den Broeck should be strong lieutenants for Joaquim Rodriguez in the mountains (perhaps even more for van den Broeck), and Morkov being headhunted by Alexander Kristoff suggests real confidence on the flat, too.
Andy - Purito has lost a strong ally in Dani Moreno, but the arrivals of Taaramae and van den Broeck may turn out to be a good two-for-one deal.
In:
Yukiya Arashiro (Direct Energie), Marko Kump (Adria Mobil), Louis Meintjes (Dimension Data), Matej Mohoric (Cannondale), Federico Zurlo (UnitedHealthcare)
Out:
Niccolò Bonifazio (Trek-Segafredo), Nelson Oliveira (Movistar), Ruben Plaza (Orica-GreenEDGE), Filippo Pozzato (Southeast), Max Richeze (Etixx-Quick-Step), Jose Serpa (Orgullo Antiqueño), Rafael Valls (Lotto Soudal)
Kev - The name that stands out to me is Meintjes, you wonder just how much he can grow here. Plaza is a big name loss, but as with IAM and Chavanel, probably the right time.
Andy - Meintjes is a fine capture for the Italian team, and whilst Plaza's departure leaves a hole, Meintjes has more than enough potential to fill it and, eventually, surpass Plaza.
That's us halfway, keep your eyes open for the other nine teams soon!
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